I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be [not rejoicing here, but] the less sorrowful." ", Blessed is this confidence in Christ, and wondrous are His ways! WebPhilippians 3:11. No saints are outside the danger. You run until you ache and you think you can't go anymore, but you keep going. They don't want to hear it; they are enemies of that message. No wonder the apostle was grieved to think of differences among such women as these. It should be "the fruit of righteousness, which is by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.". It has been hard for you to kick against the pricks." Faith is called knowledge, Isaiah 53:11. Were on a mission to change that. (ii) Our only boast is in Jesus Christ. The author of Exalting Jesus in Luke is Thabiti M. Anyabwile Philippians - Ryan Kelly 2014-07-31 The book of Philippians challenges Christians to remember their true identity as citizens of Gods kingdom, especially when faced with difficult circumstances and painful trials. Yea [not and], I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which labour with me." Indeed Paul did. The NIV is more paraphrastic, translating a Greek word with any number of English synonyms to make the English translation more readable. Not that there were not difficulties; there were many. To the saints it will be indeed a resurrection, a return to bliss, and life, and glory; while the resurrection of the wicked is a rising from the grave, but a return to a second death. They weren't looking for a place, and so they roamed the earth, as outcast, not possessing of the earth. Here I am, you know, come and I will teach you. "Help them" (says he) "with Clement also, and with my other fellow-labourers, whose names are in the book of life. So Paul proves to these Jews that he has the right to speak. He makes it clear that he continues to pursue his goal just as a runner might continue to run in order to receive the prize at the end of the race. So the apostle lets them know that he owned their hearty love; "not," he says, "because I desire a gift." They exist; they are there. But as the model was turning around, her eye caught the ticket with the price tag $4,295.00. Jesus had to empty Himself to become a servant. "You know, it is what I used to be, what I used to do. Accordingly, this being not so directly the subject of the epistle though a Very important part of it, it comes in parenthetically in a large measure, not now in any wise as a question of truth or development of the mystery of Christ, as we saw in Ephesians 3:1-21, but, nevertheless, as a parenthesis; for he resumes afterwards the internal side again, as we shall see inPhilippians 4:1-23; Philippians 4:1-23. It is no trouble to me to write the same things to you, and for you it is safe. Nothing less would be in keeping with such a high position. Then Paul urges his followers to continue the Christian race as they have been taught. So Paul sets out his credentials, not in order to boast but to show that he had enjoyed every privilege which a Jew could enjoy and had risen to every attainment to which a Jew could rise. He had a work for you to fulfill. But they recognized that it was the best that she could do.About that time, Lady Bountiful walked in the door. I just" And living in the past, and being destroyed in the past, and can't go ahead because they are looking backward. "Beware of evil workers; beware of the concision. "That I may win Christ," therefore he says; "and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law." To "abound yet more and more," to have that love tempered by divinely given wisdom and divinely exercised judgment, is the very reverse of going back. He thus takes a common place with his beloved son in the gospel. They nevertheless seem to have been disheartened, even distanced, from their faith by Pauls imprisonment. You will never get into a right relationship with God by your own efforts in keeping the Law. The disciples found it difficult to handle when Jesus started talking about the suffering that he was to experience, and Peter cried out, "Lord, be that far from thee." WebPhilippians 3:1-11 Bible Study Commentary And Questions. WebMatthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Philippians 3:9-14. As it was a true though distressing part for Christ to judge religious evil, something akin could not be absent here; but at the same time it was by no means a prominent characteristic of Christ's task here below far from it. When it is used of Christians, it often means baptized persons who are full members of the Church, as opposed to those who are still under instruction. Paul had discovered that a right relationship with God is based not on Law but on faith in Jesus Christ. I tried it for so long. That is a wonderful thought. He had his heart on these two great peculiarities of the Christian religion. Fee's commentary on Paul's letter to the church in Philippi. What is the Spirit now doing? The true people of God, whom Paul calls the true circumcision, are not those who have carried out a ceremony to put a mark in their bodies, but those who have received new life from Christ through an inward spiritual change (3:1-3).To support this statement, Paul refers to his own experience. To know Christ means that we share the way he walked; we share the Cross he bore; we share the death he died; and finally we share the life he lives for evermore. Yes, the power of the resurrection, but you know, you can never know the power of the resurrection until you have, first of all, know the cross. The basic thought of this passage is the uselessness of Law and the sufficiency of knowing Christ and accepting the offer of God's grace. This is our conformity to his death. Thus easily do we fall into error, because the human mind likes to have either one thing or another, and thus avoid all difficulty in Scripture, having each squared according to our notions. Long, long before this, the great teachers and the great prophets had seen that circumcision of the flesh is by itself not nearly enough and that there was needed a spiritual circumcision. As citizens of heaven we keep in communication with our native home. This is the more remarkable because it is so intensely practical. So he could settle now about his life and death. "This robe of flesh I will drop and rise to reap the everlasting prize." Paul is talking about their demands that the Gentiles be circumcised to be saved. Their sympathies, drawn out by the afflictions of the apostle in his work, were the workings of the Holy Spirit in their souls at least the instincts of a life that was of Christ, and that judged in view of Him, and not according to appearances. This commonly is apt to give occasion for strife as well as vain-glory. John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Therefore, do what you like with it; since it is evil anyhow it makes no difference what you do with it. "They really did me wrong. Not so Paul. The summons of the writer of Deuteronomy is: "Circumcise the foreskin of your heart and be no longer stubborn" ( Deuteronomy 10:16). While the exact nature of that reward is unclear here, it can generally be understood as a sort of abundance of life. This is one of the main features of our chapter. Yet they were the witnesses of Christ whom God had put forth at the close; for it was manifestly of Him. "I beseech Evodia" (we may just notice the true form in passing; Euodias sounds like a man's name, whereas here it is really a woman). He was totally, completely ostracized by those who were once his compatriots, those whom he once shared with. But this Christian joy enables a man to accept even them with a smile. They had separated themselves off from all common life and from all common tasks in order to make it the one aim of their lives to keep every smallest detail of the Law. They say, that in training for the Olympics, you have got to go till it hurts, and you have to work yourself through the pain. And so Paul says, "Beware of those who would mutilate your body, for we are of those who are circumcised in the spirit." 's critical, scholastic, and exegetic manner. And He said, "I am Jesus. "Not having my own righteousness, which is of the law; not thinking that my outward observances and good deeds are able to atone for my bad ones, or that by setting the one over against the other I can come to balance accounts with God. Whatever the case, all should make sure that they do not slip back from the standard of practical holiness they have already reached (15-16). Why did the Lord apprehend you? It is no rule, but an evasion. You can check these in your browser security settings. Soul (14+ yrs) CY (11-14 yrs) Epic Explorers (kids) Universal Editions; Promotional materials; Translations; Booklets and tracts; Books; Shop by Type; Evangelistic Books; "Being made conformable to his death:" this too is clearly in the world now. There is real power, there is strength from God that works in the saint; but the feelings of Christ, the mind of Christ morally, is better than all energy. He had learned practically what Christ is, and what He does, and what He can enable even the least to do, (as he says himself, "less than the least of all saints,") and so much the more, because the least in his own eyes. I believe that a woman shines most where she does not appear. John (i) He sets down what we might call the indestructibility of Christian joy. There is a righteousness provided for us in Jesus Christ, and it is a complete and perfect righteousness. Thus, in both parts of the history of Christ, presented to us in no obscure contrast with the first Adam, we have first of all His own glory, who humbled Himself to become a servant. And, therefore, even in circumstances where joy would seem to be impossible and there seem to be nothing but pain and discomfort, Christian joy remains, because not all the threats and terrors and discomforts of life can separate the Christian from the love of God in Christ Jesus his Lord ( Romans 8:35-39). [Note: See John F. Walvoord, Philippians, pp. But it gives us also the effect of Christ in the saints eventually of Paul himself, of Timothy, of Epaphroditus, and indeed of the Philippian saints. There is no epistle in the New Testament which gives so little space to the development of. When the state or kind of resurrection is meant to be expressed, the anarthrous form is requisite, as we see in verse 24 of this very chapter, and regularly so. Next, not only did he exhort them not to be terrified by the power of Satan, which is itself an evident and solemn sign of perdition to those that oppose the saints of God; but he calls on them to cast out the sources of disunion among themselves; and this he does in the most touching way. Word Format PDF Format. Such a notion is unknown to scripture, and revolting to the spiritual mind. He must retrieve the glory of God in that very death which confessedly had brought the greatest shame on God outwardly. "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection from the dead. And so the models started coming in with all these beautiful dresses showing them off and doing their little stances and all, and a model came in that had a dress that was absolutely gorgeous. I am sure he wasn't rejoicing in the circumstances themselves. But to one cut off from such work it was, in appearance at least, a heavy burden and an immense trial; but Christ changes all for us. My actions they may, but not my faith in Him. Through the wonderful sight of the love of Christ, this answered the question to his faith, leaving all circumstances entirely aside. No one denies this, which is, or ought to be, no new thing for a Christian. Even, therefore, if you could have (what is impossible) ever so much real spiritual knowledge along with Christ, who would so much as notice these acquisitions in comparison with Christ? Why? The moment you look at what He is made, then it is to the glory of Him who thus exalted Him. When he received Jesus Christ, as far as they were concerned, he was dead. Oh that the Lord might make it true of His own! This was now among the last outpourings of the apostle's heart, as he himself had almost arrived at the end of his active labours, if indeed it was not absolutely their end. Hence I cannot but consider it a surprising error in Griesbach that he edited the received text in this place. But supposing it possible to be clothed with the righteousness of the law, he would not have it now. 3:12-16 Not that I have already obtained this, or that I am already all complete but I press on to try to grasp that for which I have been grasped by Jesus Christ. This chapter then looks for the working of the gracious feelings of Christ Himself in the Christian individually, showing us, first, the fulness of them all in Christ in contrast with the first Adam. This disperses all clouds from the soul. but I follow after [I am pursuing], if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus ( Philippians 3:12 ). John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. So, she decided that she would make for herself a new dress for the senior prom. First of all He emptied Himself, becoming a slave and a man; and having thus come down, so as to take His place in the likeness of men, He, found in figure as a man, humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to the lowest point of degradation here below. WebPhil 3:12-14 (NIV) These verses flashed through my mind last night as I watched the intense focus of an Olympic competitor in the downhill slalom race compete for the gold. I just can't do it. According to Jewish belief, circumcision was ordained upon Israel as sign and symbol that they were the people with whom God had entered into a special relationship. Israel was the name which had been specially given to Jacob by God after his wrestling with him ( Genesis 32:28). However, one is correct in understanding that these words express his humble expectation and hope (1 Corinthians 15:20; 2 Corinthians 5:1). You can get into a right relationship with God only by taking Jesus Christ at his word, and by accepting what God himself offers to you.". He was willing to do any thing, or suffer any thing, that he might attain that resurrection. 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (i) He says that he is trying to grasp that for which he has been grasped by Christ. It is of great use in the Christian course to keep our eye upon heaven. And mark, it is not the anticipation of light with Christ in heaven, but His light now while He is in heaven shining on the heart, and on the circumstances of the pathway here below. Work hard at doing that which is right. (3.) "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." Hey, this is a pretty good pedigree. So, those things which we once gained, those things which were once so important to me, I counted loss, and I forget those things which are behind, because I am pressing forth for those things which are before. i. Jesus was not merely resuscitated from the dead in the same body. But if not, what then? Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. In Philippians 3:1-21 it is not the display of intrinsic affection in Christ, or the gracious dispositions of Christ in the saints. Not the passive side of the Christian as being in the world, but the active comes before us. There is no more common device of Satan than to seek the destruction of the power of testimony by the allowance of evil insinuations against him who renders it. Philippians 4:1-23 is founded on both. We now heard what the apostle renounced; let us now see what he laid hold on, and resolved to cleave to, namely, Christ and heaven. He is at Rome, where he desired to be, no doubt, but which he had never expected to visit as one in bonds. i. Jesus really can subdue all things. He is encouraged to keep moving towards this goal by his knowledge that final victory over sin, suffering and death is certain (10-11).Paul knows that he will not reach perfection in this life. After being here near three weeks, one morning about three o'clock Mr. Wesley turned over, and, finding me awake, clapped me on the side, saying: 'Brother Nelson, let us be of good cheer: I have one whole side yet, for the skin is off but on one side!'" But our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly await the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, for he will refashion the body which we have in this state of our humiliation and make it like his own glorious body, by the working of that power of his whereby he is able to subject all things to himself. It is important to note the verb which he uses for to know. And now he would have them looking to Christ, that no damp should gather round their hearts from anything that might befall him, that nothing which happened, whether to themselves, to other saints, or even to the apostle, should interfere for a moment with their unclouded and abounding confidence in the Lord. They were rather miserable, but that does not stop you from rejoicing in the Lord. Write the same body gives so little space to the glory of Him translating a Greek word with any of! Eye upon heaven of that message a righteousness provided for us in Jesus Christ, and wondrous are his!... 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